Friday, May 30, 2008

The long awaited "Big Buck Bunny" is now available for free download right here! This open source 3D animation project is donation based, so please consider buying a DVD or giving something for the entertainment value of it.

Big Buck Bunny tells the story of a giant rabbit with a heart bigger than himself. When one sunny day three rodents rudely harass him, something snaps... and the rabbit ain't no bunny anymore! In the typical cartoon tradition he prepares the nasty rodents a comical revenge.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Yves Guillemot the CEO of Montreal based Ubisoft has today confirmed at the Ubidays 2008 conference in Paris what was rumored to be true and followed up by James Cameron last Tuesday: Avatar the game will indeed be playable in 3D! Also the release date is pegged for the summer of 2009 - BEFORE the release of Cameron's 3D epic movie "Avatar".

"Technology continues to evolve and we have now new 3D TVs that are coming in homes and we will have also movies in 3D," said Guillemot, speaking at Ubidays in Paris.

"Because we will have movies and TVs, we are actually working on games in 3D."

He added: "James Cameron has said he is working with us on Avatar in 3D, I am proud to tell you today we have seen it and it is wonderful. I am sure you will love this new experience because this new technology is just wonderful. You will see that, I think, in the middle of next year."

Hey - check out the new "Fly Me To The Moon" Trailer fresh off of their post-production's PCs! Looks like a cute family movie to me - you can check out more details at their official site.

Fly Me To The Moon 3D will be in theaters this August 22nd! It is already playing in Belgium. Voices include: Tim Curry, Buzz Aldrin, Christopher Lloyd, Nicollette Sheridan, Kelly Ripa, Robert Patrick, Ed Begley Jr. and Adrienne Barbeau.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

First of all - thank you Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson for taking the time to answer questions - especially the 3D related one that I and many others posed!

Listen guys - Guillermo and Peter had the perfect opportunity to say NO and quash all the rumors Saturday night when asked the question: "Will you be filming the Hobbit in 3D?" - but they DID NOT quash the rumors. According to Ain't It Cool News it is not happening at all - obviously their sources are not all that close if Guillermo simply didn't just say NO here. In fact they said that my scoop of Peter Jackson and New Line making up and settling their lawsuit was a flat out lie too. Ah no. The only flaw in my original reporting from my Weta sources was that Peter Jackson would be heavily involved in "The Hobbit" (still very true obviously) and also directing - the producing aspect of it was a recent development (he changed his mind in other words). And to quote PJ from the Q&A when asked why he isn't directing: "Believe me, I thought long and hard about this, and what we're doing here will result in better movies, I promise you. And that's all that counts!"Meaning he was considering directing! Proof right there guys!So will it be in 3D? He left it WIDE open. Pisses me off when other websites go out of their way to discredit someone for whatever reason (no idea why - other than ego I suppose) and then post it as gospel. Well you are wrong AICN and MarketSaw was right. And we shall see what happens regarding 3D Hobbits too - Hint: I'm smiling. Enough trash talking now - just venting a bit! Most folks know I am an easy going, casual guy.

Back to the point - Del Toro's response to the 3D question was: "At this stage it is too early to tell, but no plans are being made for that at the moment..."

"Too early to tell." Well unless you guys have a lined up 3D equipment from PACE or elsewhere and booked the expertise to run them then I would say that, my friends, is a YES. 3D is a fundamental film making decision! It affects so much of what you need to get done during the shoot and quite frankly it sounds like Peter and Guillermo are holding off that announcement until later to drag it out a little.

All the more opportunity for me to grab more proof that it WILL HAPPEN. You heard it here first folks and I will do my best to continue to deliver the goods on all things 3D - and yes, "The Hobbit(s)" are close to my heart so you can be sure to have VERY interesting reading in the near future.

The only thing said during this public Q&A that was disturbing to me was the following statement by GDT: "I normally use 1:85 but I thoroughly plan to respect Peter’s choice of format used in the Trilogy (2:35:1) but it is my intention, for now, to shoot this on film, not HD."

Huh? This makes little sense to me currently and I believe it to be more smoke and mirrors to cover the fact that it will be shot in HD 3D. If his intention is to shoot on film, why say that it is too early to tell if it will be shot in 3D? (You need to shoot modern 3D in digital btw to obtain the results needed for these massive pictures).

In closing I will say that we are much closer to an announcement stating that "The Hobbit(s)" will be in 3D, but that the smoke and mirrors are quite chaffing.

PS> I love that GDT mentioned Fafhrd and Grey Mouser as a movie he would love to make. Now THAT would be awesome Guillermo - you just scored big time in my books!

Friday, May 23, 2008

A picture may say a thousand words, but are we going to see some 3D gaming action here soon? Steve Jobs and Apple have filed for patents on a couple of VERY interesting 3D related items that add up to: Yep, 3D Gaming.

Item One can be found here. A 3D Projection System! Good for 3D movies, tv and... gaming.

Here is Item Two - a handheld 3D remote control system that is very much Nintendo Wii-like. It is said that Apple wishes to integrate this remote's functionality with Apple TV (a TV top box) to give it gaming and multi-touch capabilities. This patent was filed in November 2006 and only revealed this month.

You add one with two and you get - a pretty darn interesting Apple 3D gaming system to go head to head vs. Nintendo in the casual and sports home gaming vertical.

I'd buy one - especially if I can see my drive off of Pebble Beach #8 go gracefully down the fairway in glorious 3D!

Hey I would love to see "RoboCop" in 3D! There is a very real opportunity here for MGM. The new Chair of MGM, Mary Parent was quoted as saying:

“For MGM, among those is a continuation of Bond and Pink Panther sequels, an announced remake of “Fame” and a not-yet-announced remake of “RoboCop,” possibly in 3-D. “‘RoboCop” would be great in 3-D, as would something we’re hoping to announce soon.”

That something else, as hinted at time and time again - could very well turn out to be the news that we uncovered here at MarketSaw first (here and here) - The Hobbit 1 and 2 will be in 3D. And, that the LOTRs trilogy will be re-released in 3D as well!

Parent also said that they are looking at 2011 and 2012 as the release dates for "The Hobbit" 1 and 2. I will update you ASAP as soon as I hear word from my sources or otherwise that all is confirmed!

A great interview done by io9 of Zoe Saldana talking "Star Trek" (ok - that alone is exciting) AND "Avatar"!

Here is the portion of the interview that deals with Avatar - enjoy!

How did you prep for your role in Avatar, I heard your role is very intense?

Zoe: I took marshal arts, archery, horseback riding everything. I did an intense six-month prep for Avatar and I loved every minute of it. I was training non-stop. Because we were creating a language that was from scratch. Jim wrote this amazing story out of nothing. It has an amazing message. And the technology that he's using is so ahead of his time that's why it took so long to shoot it. And it's going to [take] a long time for the film to come out, but it's going to be so worth it. It was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had.

How did you get ready for this new technology?

Zoe: It's about trusting your director. I think with the technology that they decided to use, everybody knows that James Cameron is the biggest perfectionist in this business. I was afraid and we had endless conversations at first. But he just said figure out whatever you need and I did. Because we shot in motion capture and you had to have to create this world in your imagination. He didn't want it to look like I was working in front of a green screen and I didn't want that either. So I worked with what I had and I fell so in love with the story and the characters that it all became very real to me.

What can you tell us about your character, sounds like she's tough?

Zoe: Given the female characters that James Cameron is known to write, it's just the most impressive ass-kicking girl I've ever played, it's pretty cool.

Is there going to be a lot of war and mayhem?

Zoe: I'm not going to go into that. The story is very deep, but it's a story that everyone can watch.

Why should people go and see Avatar?

Zoe: Because Mr. Cameron never ceases to excite. He's always pushing the envelope. I think Avatar is going to represent a lot of change in film history. With motion capture, it's not like shooting green screen. It's deeper it's Beowulf and The Polar Express. But the difference between those films and Avatar is those films were aiming to look like a cartoon. As opposed to Avatar which is aiming to look real. I've seen only three minutes of the film and I can't even put it to words. I can't compare it to anything I've ever seen, because I haven't seen anything like it before. It's going to be just as big as when sound was introduced, or color.

When do you think we might be able to see a trailer for Avatar?

Zoe: I would say, maybe by the end of this year, but I could be pushing it. So maybe the beginning of next year.

What were you most impressed with on the three minutes that you saw?

Zoe: I would have to say Jim and what he's done. He's working with Peter Jackson's company Weta in New Zealand and I was down there and I had the honor of meeting all of these people who were working for Weta and I was so blown away. Just Jim, he will not settle for anything other than great. And those three minutes were great, they were beautiful.

Did you get to see what you looked like in Avatar?

Zoe: Yes I did, all I'm going to say is oh my god, I was so impressed.

Can you imagine being an actor and doing those two movies back-to-back? "Star Trek" and "Avatar"? Too cool. She is definitely on the rise!

WARNING! A high movie geek factor is involved in this somewhat detailed post dealing with nothing but t-shirts! "Avatar" t-shirts no less, but t-shirts all the same... You've been warned! :-)

Let me say that there are at LEAST two different styles of "Avatar" crew t-shirts floating around - the one I describe below with photos and another one with a Na'vi holding a spear over a creature that I have described in this previous post that has now been proven to exist - however the creature cannot be confirmed to be scorpion-like as was previously thought. Apparently it is hard to tell what the creature really is. These t-shirts were made by the cast to be raffled off to the crew... and I know for a fact some were raffled off by Sam Worthington.

The common element to these recent crew t-shirts is that they all use silhouettes of creatures that mask their details... in case they should become fodder for... certain Internet bloggers... Who, me?

A third, older t-shirt pictured here is actually for the 1996 SIGGRAPH show, and handed out to potential artists and animators that Digital Domain was trying to recruit. Back in the late 90’s, SIGGRAPH was a meat market for recruitment and all of the CGI/Animation studios focused a lot of efforts on recruitment. Each of the big companies, such as Sony, ILM, and Digital Domain would hold SIGGRAPH parties, the sole purpose of which was to attract new talent to the studios. Recruitment included poaching of artists from other studios, so it was a time of fierce competition. One way to attract the artists that were so much in demand was to offer them the opportunity to work on great projects. Avatar was potentially one of those great projects. The shirts were made to serve this purpose. This particular piece of info was kindly provided by a new source to MarketSaw that is extremely credible.

Now comes some moderate spoilers relating to the t-shirt that is being sent to me. I have some quotes from this point on from the original scriptment - be careful. If you want a pristine viewing experience of "Avatar" read no further.

A great source of mine is sending me a t-shirt (2XL as I am not a small fellow @ 6'6") with the following graphics emblazoned on it:

Image 4: ZOOM of Back of T-shirt - a cluster of circles followed by "RDA" under which is a strange looking winged creature. RDA stands for "Resources Development Alliance"

What is the "Resources Development Alliance"? Well, here is an excerpt from the original scriptment written by James Cameron himself:

"As he is wheeling himself through the crowded halls of the municipal complex, Sully hears someone calling his name and sees two guys in suits working their way through the crowd to catch up with him. He is immediately suspicious, wondering what collection agency they are from. His brother must have died with some debts.

They tell him they are with the RDA, the RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE. This is an international consortium of major corporations whose purpose is to find and exploit resources on other planets, both within the solar system, and in the last 25 years, among the nearer star systems.

Imagine the Dutch West India Company funded by Microsoft, Matsushita and a dozen or so of their megacorporation buddies. Everyone just calls it "THE CONSORTIUM". The RDA has an official charter from the ICA, the Interplanetary Commerce Administration (pronounced eye-kah), an international trade-regulating body run much like the EC is today. The charter allows them to exploit the resources of planets, moons, asteroids... whatever they find... as long as they follow the International Space Resources Treaty, and the other treaties which prohibit weapons of mass destruction and limit military power in space."

So what about the flying creature? :-) We are pretty sure it is a Bansheeray. What the heck is that? Here is another excerpt from the Avatar scriptment:

"A shrieking BANSHEERAY hurtles at him from above the trees. It is a small one, less than a three meter wingspan. Shaped like a manta ray, it swoops through the trees on translucent wing membranes. We get a glimpse of glassy fangs unfolding from its mouth like cat-claws, then the cannon blows it into chunks. Quaritch's canopy is showered with blue Pandoran blood."

Josh, sitting in the wind in the open door of the Samson, sees a bansheeray cruising near them. It studies them a moment, beating its huge wing membranes to keep up. It lets out a piercing shriek (hence the name) and then banks away, diving like a jet fighter. Josh sees more bansheerays circling below. A couple pass nearby, giving him the eye. Like reef sharks they will size you up, but seldom attack something their own size unless it is in distress."

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

"Even before we get used to high-definition TV, researchers are planning to place "3D" TV in our homes — but without the funny glasses.

Philips Electronics NV gave a peek into its research pipeline Tuesday, demonstrating a prototype that was still fuzzy around the edges. Operating like a holographic greeting card, it combines slightly different angles of the same image to create video that appears to have different depths as your eyes scan it.

The result is uneven, at some moments blurry, and at others merely two dimensional. But sometimes the apparent depth or protrusion can be startling.

"We say the market progression is black and white, to color, to high definition, to 3D," said Bjorn Teuwsen, demonstrating the product. "We estimate in a few years these will be in homes."

Specialized models have been sold to corporations — mostly movie theaters and casinos — where they are usually used for advertising signs, since 2006. But Philips said the product is not yet ready for consumer rollout.

Samsung is demonstrating its own no-glasses 3D television concept model this week in Las Vegas."

Again, 3D seems to be firing on ALL cylinders as multiple media channels are converging to bring us the 3D immersion facter - and with a lot of innovation! Of course 3D TVsare available nowfor use with 3D glasses - the future holds the promise of glass-less 3D for the home andthe theater.

James Cameron confirmed today while speaking at Microsoft in Redmond, WA that game designer Ubisoftalready has a 3D version of the game up and running on a standard XBox 360 - complete with 3D glasses!

We knew about this rumor quite some time ago and now it has been confirmed by the big guy himself.

Not only that but another interesting morsel of information has been released for all you movie geeks out there (you know who you are) - again from JC himself:

"'Avatar' is the single most complex piece of filmmaking ever made," said Cameron. "We have 1,600 shots for a 2.5 hour movie. It's not with a single CGI character, like King Kong or Gollum. We have hundreds of photo-realistic CG characters. We were Microsoft's sandbox for filmmaking beyond the cutting edge."

Yes, you heard right - Microsoft is working with Cameron to deliver the goods in helping JC and Lightstorm Entertainment deliver what is the most anticipated movie since Titanic. Perhaps all time.

The heart of the film technology is a digital asset management system created by Microsoft, which was praised by Cameron and Landau for understanding the arts and filmmaking. The system can track every cloud and every blade of CGI grass in the film.

Cameron noted that Titanic was about how technology let us down. He has always tried to be on cutting edge of what's going on. The Abyss featured the first photo-realistic CG character. Then "The Terminator" combined CG and human actors. "True Lies" pushed the bar even higher with composite technology.

"'Avatar' will make people truly experience something," said Cameron."One more layer of the suspension of disbelief will be removed. All the syn-thespians are photo-realistic. Now that we've achieved it, we discovered CG characters in 3D look more real than in 2D. Your brain is cued it's a real thing not a picture and discounting part of image that makes it look fake."

In "Titanic" as a filmmaker, I struck the perfect balance of technology and the human heart," said Cameron. "I haven't forgotten that lesson with Avatar. It's the best lesson for any filmmaker."

So you can expect the best from Cameron and his team! Not that we expected less, but to hear that the movie is two and a half hours long and the most complex movie ever made speaks volumes. Yeah, and the movie is in 3D too - that's the pinnacle for me. True validation on its way in December 2009.

Cameron also spoke about the future of gaming, computer operating systems, handheld devices, etc and not surprisingly they all point to 3D technologies. To read more about these exciting developments check out my sources below.

Hang on guys - we are in for a ride! The theaters are starting to come on board!

This is awesome news in light of the recent turmoil over the speed at which 3D conversion agreements were happening. This should pave the way for more agreements shortly in my estimation. C'mon Cinemark and AMC!

The additional 1500 3D screens under the Regal banner will bring Real D's 3D screen total to over 3500 once the Digital Cinema Implementation partnership has been put in place.

Here is some very important industry validation of this HUGE event:

“I believe this partnership between Regal Entertainment Group and RealD marks a defining moment for the greatest transformation in movie-going in 70 years," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation. "The future of cinema comes to theaters in 2009, when audiences for the first time can enjoy the extraordinary new innovations in 3D filmmaking and exhibition. Prepare to be immersed in the world of movies like never before.”

Chuck Viane, president, Distribution, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, said, “We're thrilled that Regal Entertainment is now working in partnership with RealD to significantly increase the number of 3D venues and bring exciting state-of-the-art 3D experiences to moviegoers in most major markets. Disney has been a pioneer in producing groundbreaking 3D motion pictures, and has an ambitious slate of projects starting with the November release of our newest animated feature, ‘Bolt.’ Moviegoers have enthusiastically demonstrated their preference for quality 3D entertainment, and we join our friends at Regal and RealD in making the theatrical experience as exciting and enjoyable as possible.”

Bruce Snyder, president, Domestic Distribution, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, stated, “With ‘Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” and James Cameron’s, ‘Avatar’ both being released in the not so distant future in the 3D format, we at Fox clearly believe in the 3D process as the next great thing in the movie-going experience. We are currently deep into the negotiation with DCIP to keep the digitalization of theaters moving forward. And we are thrilled that RealD and Regal have joined together to make 3D viewing a reality on a nationwide basis.”

Now is that AWESOME or what? We now have the theaters in action!! 3D is on the way baby!! Can you tell I am typing a bit faster? :-)

ABOUT Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) is the largest motion picture exhibitor in the world. The Company's theatre circuit, comprising Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatres and Edwards Theatres, operates 6,763 screens in 551 locations in 39 states and the District of Columbia. Regal operates theatres in all of the top 33 and 44 of the top 50 U.S. designated market areas. We believe that the size, reach and quality of the Company's theatre circuit not only provide its patrons with a convenient and enjoyable movie-going experience, but is also an exceptional platform to realize economies of scale in theatre operations. Additional information is available on the Company's Web site at www.REGmovies.com.

About RealD 3D: RealD 3D is the global leader in 3D, bringing the most advanced digital 3D experience to cinemas worldwide. RealD's next-generation technology, deployed across the world's largest 3D platform in 24 countries, provides a stunningly realistic and immersive experience beyond the usual concepts of 3D cinema. The impact of 3D upon today's moviemaking has been compared to the advent of color film when once there was only black and white. Beyond cinema, RealD 3D is the worldwide inventor of and pioneer in key stereoscopic technologies, with thirty years of scientific development behind its systems. Organizations such as NASA, Pfizer, BMW, Boeing, and more use RealD’s mission-critical 3-D visualization technologies. RealD was named to Fast Company’s “Fast 50” list of Most Innovative Companies in 2008. For more information, visit www.reald.com.

John Merritt and Andrew Woods are looking for papers for their annual Stereoscopic Displays And Applications Conference held in San Jose (January 2009). The 500 word abstracts are due by June 16th. The papers themselves are due in December.

SD&A is the largest and longest running technical stereoscopic imaging conference worldwide, and features popular hands-on demonstration sessions.

Groups from academia and private research, applications engineering, TV and Film communities, stereoscopic 3D gaming, medical applications, and many other fields, are all encouraged to submit abstracts for this 20th anniversary celebration and conference. Key topics include: stereoscopic and autostereoscopic displays, 3D image acquisition, data processing, 3D perceptual science, and applications of stereoscopy in medical imaging, military visualization, and entertainment.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Want a 22" 3D Gaming Monitor from iZ3D? How about a walk-on SPEAKING role in Adirondack International Pictures "Horrorween" filming this August? You could win BOTH if you are the lucky winner of MarketSaw's first ever 3D Contest.

The contest ends at 11:59:59 on May 31st, 2009. Enter right here and good luck!

Craig Perry, producer of "Final Destination IV" has some choice words for the other 3D horror movies coming out soon in 3D, including "My Bloody Valentine":

"Final Destination 4 will mercilessly bitch slap the 3D “My Bloody Valentine” remake into submission. Listen, I feel like some of these other 3D films were just rushed into production. We have planned… seriously. We will own any other 3D horror film that tries to oppose us.”

“We really didn’t want to just throw a bunch of stupid shit at the audience, just as an excuse to do 3D. There isn’t a bunch of scenes where a yo-yo flies towards the screen or anything like that. We wanted to create a truly immersive 3D world, where you feel like you could actually step into it.”

When I asked how (nudity) and gore would play into the 3D picture, he responded “Well, there is a 3D sex scene… nudity included. Also prepare to have a bunch of limbs and torso’s shot your way.”

Is this a feature film first? 3D sex scene? You can add ten million dollars to the bottom line for every minute of nudity I am guessing.Hey that's just reality dude.

“Imagine what it’s like sitting in those chairs, watching these chunks of steel zip around the track like hellfire, and notice that there really isn’t that much separating the two of you… and furthermore, there isn’t any room to go if you wanted to get away.”

For some spoilers revealed by the cast while being interviewed during this piece - be sure to check out Bloody Disgusting's full post here!

For more "Final Destination IV" MarketSaw coverage click here. These guys mean business. They are using the industry leading equipment from PACE and man, am I ever looking forward to seeing the results first hand (...as it goes flying past my head!).

Friday, May 16, 2008

I just received the information I would have gotten yesterday had I been able to make the panels from a fine source of mine.

No further "Avatar" info I am afraid, but interesting info anyway...

In a nutshell, James Cameron and Vince Pace spoke via a Skype video link up to the site (both still toiling away on "Avatar"). The topics were: “New Dimensions for 3D: How Digital 3D Will Shape Movie Production and Distribution During The Next 20yrs” and “New Technology Driving Digital 3D”.

Here is the big news of the day - rather than 3D projects having a 20-40% premium on production, today's reality is that "Final Destination IV" is currently ahead of schedule and below budget at only a 10-15% cushion!

Cameron / Pace also made it clear that their systems are available for multiple concurrent projects as they have the world's largest inventory of 3D systems. GREAT news!

Here are some further snippets:

LOS ANGELES (MAY. 16, 2008)

The panel proved invaluable to the industry as the long time misperceptions of 3D production were lifted as legendary and well respected Director, James Cameron, along with Cinematographer and CEO of PACE, Vince Pace, expressed the true realities of the technology, its integration, and the financial impact of stereoscopic film making. With most industry speakers touting a 20-40% monetary increase, Pace stepped up to the microphone and brought to the table Final Destination 4, which is currently in production utilizing the latest PACE/Cameron Fusion F23 System. Having budgeted only a 10% - 15% cushion, production is currently ahead of schedule and under budget.

Pace and Cameron went on to clear the air as to the number of available acquisition systems currently in market for immediate use on production. The current Fusion System line, the world’s largest inventory of 3D systems, could easily service multiple high level feature films simultaneously. Both veterans stated that it is a matter of demand pushing the number of systems in the market, not the ability to actually produce them, and challenged film makers to join the revolution. PACE has the immediate ability to produce additional systems due to the internalized infrastructure of the proprietary technology.

Pace and Cameron have been working together since 1988 on the production of The Abyss. In 2001 Cameron came to Pace with the desire to build “the holy grail” of cameras. The challenge was to design a stereoscopic acquisition system that would reinvent the entertainment experience by providing imagery that mimics the human experience. The two thought leaders accomplished this feat by throwing out the mathematics that previously drove and hindered 3D production; replacing it with the creatively driven tool known today as the first camera in the Fusion System line - blurring the line between having seen it and having been there.

I'll bring you more James Cameron updates as they happen - heck - BEFORE they happen! :-)

James Cameron told The Hollywood Reporter that his follow up movie after "Avatar" will be "The Dive", based on a true story of a Cuban free diver Francisco "Pipin" Ferreras and his love affair with a French woman - Audrey Mestre. Mestre perishes while in competition after being trained by her lover.

I KNOW I missed out on asking some key questions of Cameron and Vince Pace during their Cannes Panels yesterday, but c'est la vie. Next time Jim!

Obviously as I have alluded to in past posts, underwater 3D cinematography is absolutely stunning. Floating objects are suspended in front of you allowing your eyes to wander and become deeply immersed in the film. When the camera is at the waters edge, just breaking the surface - it really seems as though you are IN the water. An amazing effect indeed.

Cameron will be able to take this movie to its limits and explore nuances never before seen as 3D is the tool that directors dream about.

It may be free diving but there is a cost associated with this picture - "Battle Angel" will have to wait awhile. Can't say as I blame him - he is putting an ungodly amount of time into "Avatar" to spoil us all. Battle Angel will not be a walk in the park - not that any of his films are.

I have a ton of anticipation for "The Dive". An escape into a world that I would never ever see otherwise, partially a glorious environment for a movie setting and partially a death trap. Awesome. If there is one team I would want doing "The Dive" it is James Cameron and Vince Pace. Synergy baby.

Is it just me or does Francisco look A LOT like Ron Perlman? Hmmm. Called it.

From the zombie master himself, be prepared to revisit anarchy and be completely immersed in it. Lucky Tony Timpone of Fangoria got a sneak peak at the process and broke the story. Richard Rubinstein, producer of the original 1979 "Day Of The Dead" undead movie is tapping 2D to 3D conversion specialist In-Three to dimensionalize the classic film into stereoscopic 3D. The movie is due to hit theaters in 2009 - THE YEAR of 3D.

Rubenstein:“I couldn’t see how it could be used without re-editing George’s film, which I was not going to do. I was also concerned that converting a 29-year-old movie would not be competitive qualitatively with the new 3-D live-action features being shot today. I was wrong in both cases. George’s DAWN OF THE DEAD can be reformatted into 3-D without any editing, and the image looks spectacular! As it stands now, it will take about a year to complete the conversion of the whole film.”

Personally I am absolutely thrilled to see the re-release of glorious classic movies with modern stereoscopic immersion. "Dawn Of The Dead" is but the first of a long line of these and to tell you the truth, I am dying to see even older classics converted - black and whites! It would be stunning. Hats off to Rubinstein and In-Three for the initiative.

Passmore Lab also specializes in 2D to 3D conversions and is a sponsor of MarketSaw.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Our friends over at Shock Till You Drop had the pleasure of visiting the "Final Destination 4" set in New Orleans recently and have written up a great piece about the experience. Here are some snippets (Warning - some spoilers):

For the fourth movie, there are two big set pieces rather than just one, the first one being the catalyst for all of the bloody kills that follow, a devastating car crash at a racetrack, while the second big set piece is a deadly explosion at a movie theater that was being shot at the makeshift soundstage while we were visiting. Apparently, there's a construction site behind this movie theater and something happens there that sets off a huge explosion that sends tools, nails and construction materials (cinderblocks and rebar) flying into the theater and invariably, into the poor trio of friends who thought that seeing a good movie might take their minds off of all the death and destruction they've witnessed.

Before we left for the day, we saw them shooting the movie screen explosion which is done in four different layers that will be compiled later: the first shows the audience watching the movie, then there's the actual explosion with fire blasting out of the screen, another where giant mortars covered in green material shoot debris from behind the screen and then a shot of stuntmen on rigs being thrown around by the impact of the explosion. We couldn't actually be anywhere near the soundstage when they did the actual explosion, but we sure as heck heard it while we were outside talking to Perry, and later, we watched as they shot off the mortar blasts of debris into the empty theater.

And about the Pace 3D Technology:

Perry, Ellis and cinematographer Glenn McPherson (Rambo) had a lot to tell us and show us about the process of filming in 3D using PACE Technologies' system, which involves special 2-camera rigs where the information from each can be recorded and processed to change the "convergence" between the two cameras, which essentially decides how much of the 3D effect is translated to the viewer. Outside the movie theater set, there was an impressive set-up of nine to ten monitors that showed data from each of the camera rigs, which could be translated by the technicians from PACE. They could also view what the scenes would look like rendered into 3D by bringing tapes out to the PACE trailer which was set-up with the appropriate rendering gear to show the film's dailies in 3D. What's cool is that the converge, or amount of depth, can then be altered in the computers, although it does often involve changing things when it comes to the editing.

**UPDATE (May 15): The 3D movie Horrorween is also mentioned in the Dolby flyer - don't forget to enter in MarketSaw's3D contestfor a shot at winning a speaking role in this movie!

Hello there Dolby.Whats this about "Transformers 2" being made in 3D? We should know here at MarketSaw right readers? :-) I posted that "Transformers 2" was rumored to be made in 3D eons ago (and Michael Bay has since refused to answer my forum posts :-) and now comes a little tidbit from an organization that should know the truth - Dolby, one of the competing 3D theater formats in existence today (Real D and IMAX being the other leaders).

Sure there are competing films for the summer time slot as 3D theaters are being rolled out, but of course Transformers 2 will also be released in 2D in 2009 - so don't worry about not being able to see it opening night. Besides, the original Transformers made a gazillion dollars in box office - I think the others will gracefully bow out if going head to head with it ala "Avatar" vs. "Monster vs. Aliens".

I just think it is AWESOMEthat someone has finally come out with some more concrete evidence to back up MarketSaws rumor - and it is a very credible source of course! I had this listed as a rumor since the summer of 2007 (on my upcoming 3D movie list) after speaking to a source of mine. And in October of last year I heard it from one of my sources again as well as Mark Christiansen, EVP of Operations @ Paramount! I did a piece AGAIN on it in February - and even joked about it on April Fool's Day (don't click on the link inside that URL or prepare to be Rick Rolled again lol).

Keep relying on MarketSaw for your source of 3D related scoops and news!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Here is an opportunity for entry level positions working on James Cameron's "Avatar"! Check it out:

Lightstorm is seeking Production Assistants for work in Virtual Lab and VFX Departments on James Cameron’s Avatar...

Description:

Our project makes heavy use of motion capture as a means to creating performances and creatures for an immersive, 3D theatrical feature. We are looking for self-motivated, go-getters for our production crew in assisting the production team realize the strong creative vision of our director.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

You will be working directly with the digital artists, VFX, Editorial and IT departments, assisting in the management and work process of an extremely elaborate and complex work pipeline.

Minimum Qualifications and Abilities:

Though not required, a four-year degree from an accredited college or university and some experience in the visual effects industry is preferred. Experience working in a digital pipeline - animation or visual effects - is a huge plus.

Candidate will need to have demonstrated ability to interact well with artists and production staff, follow up on details, organize production information, take direction well and be willing to learn about cutting-edge technologies and pipeline processes. There will be some runs required, so reliable transportation and a clean driving record are essential.

Fable Works LLC has just announced that they will be releasing "Cereal Heroes" in 3D for the 2010 season and will pre-sell the movie at Cannes this year.

Further, I have just confirmed with Mika Kelly of Clever Communications that "Cereal Hereos" will indeed be released in stereoscopic 3D as well as 2D. I always like to confirm that it is stereoscopic as many times animators like to use the term 3D to describe a 2D animation that mimics depth.

Sparx Animation Studios, Paris and Ho-chi-min, Vietnam will be creating the feature.

From their press release:

The story follows the adventures of cartoon cereal-box-mascots who are mistakenly brought to life when a plan to replace the world's fallen superheroes with characters from comic books goes awry. These unlikely "Cereal Heroes" with ridiculous powers soon find themselves alone and on the run in an unfamiliar world that only they can save from certain destruction.

"Cereal Heroes!" is a great action-adventure comedy for the whole family," said Fable Work's Producer Jean-Philippe Agati. "People of all ages will fall in love with these misfit cereal-box mascots as they attempt to save the world from the most powerful super-villains of all time."

"We are delighted to be working with Sparx Animation Studios on this project," said Fable Work's Producer Laddie Ervin. "They are a highly skilled and talented group who know how to deliver feature-film quality 3D-animation on time and on budget."

Sparx Animation Studios is currently completing work on their first feature film, "Igor," which is produced by Exodus Production and will be distributed by the Weinstein Company for theatrical release in October 2008. "Igor" is a playfully irreverent comedy that brings a new twist to the classic monster genre.

I am awaiting confirmation regarding "Igor" on whether it is stereoscopic or not. I will update this post ASAP when I have further details. Surprisingly, I have not heard much about "Igor" at all - except for one email sent to me by a reader a while back asking whether it was 3D or not. If it is 3D, the guys had better get their act together if they are releasing this year!

This movie sounds like lots of family fun to me. The possibilities are wide open not only for this pic, but for sequels based on a successful first outing. Captain Crunch vs. The Joker anyone?? :-)

Friday, May 09, 2008

Some great news out of Belgium - nWave, the creators of "Fly Me To The Moon" (3D animation due out August 8th) have announced their next project - another 3D animation leveraging the vocal talents of Tim Curry entitled "Around the World in 50 Years - 3D". Story revolves around a turtle born in 1959 who travels the globe while it is being affected by global warming.

nWave is funding the project from within and plans to have it completed in 2009. Ben Stassen directs once again (Fly Me To The Moon) while also producing with Caroline Van Iseghem, Gina Gallo, Mimi Maynard, and Domonic Paris.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Finally heading home tonight after a week here in sunny Las Vegas - lucky too as I came out well on the Cavalier's game (took the 9 points vs. Celtics) and I just won a 8GB iPod Touch from Alibaba.com at a convention here!

Not bad. I will be able to look a little closer at the news once I get home...

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Certainly looks that way! My friends over at CHUD recently interviewed Joel Silver who is the director producer of "Speed Racer". Joel had some VERY interesting things to say about 3D, that "Speed Racer" was almost in 3D itself and that... well read what he said for yourself:

Q: Since we can never get Larry and Andy, have they started thinking about 3-D filmmaking? Silver: Yeah, we talked about this being 3-D. We actually discussed this being 3-D. There aren’t enough theaters yet right now to make it really…it would have taxed us to make this 3-D right now. But maybe if we make a sequel, I mean, they have a story for a sequel and if they make it…

Q: What is it? Any hints on where it might go?Silver: Well, there’s things they want to do with him. There’s as many episodes of this cartoon so there’s a lot of ideas, but if we make the sequel maybe that will be in 3-D, but I mean it would have been possible because it was digital to begin with to do it in 3-D and all those shots were rendered so it would have been possible.

Awesome! I haven't seen "Speed Racer" yet, but the trailer certainly is begging for the 3D upgrade just by the very nature of the film.And since as Joel says they are in digital anyway, it makes perfect sense to consider 3D - in fact they could go back and re-release it as a 3D movie should he demand be great enough. Be sure to check out the entire interview over at CHUD.

As I reported back on April 14th, The Jonas Brothers (the boy band that was featured in the 3D Hannah Montana - Miley Cyrus concert movie this year) have officially stated that they will be releasing a 3D concert film focusing on them for 2009 from their "Burning Up" concert tour.

Bruce Hendricks and Art Repola (who were responsible for the Hannah / Miley 3D film) will direct and produce the film respectfully once again.

From their press release:

"The Jonas Brothers' top-selling headline arena tour, the "Burning Up Tour", is scheduled to kick off in Toronto on July 4th, with special guest Demi Lovato ("Camp Rock"). The brothers also star in the upcoming Disney Channel Original Movie, "Camp Rock" (premiering on June 20th), and in the Disney Channel series, "J.O.N.A.S!," debuting this fall. Their self-titled debut album, released in August 2007, has gone on to achieve platinum status. The band's most recent hit single, "When You Look Me In The Eyes," debuted as the #1 most added at Top 40 radio."

For more breaking 3D movie and technology news, keep coming to MarketSaw and we will get it to you days, weeks or even months before others.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Hey now this looks very inviting! Think I may need to plan a trip to Asia soon...

The 3DX: 3D Film & Entertainment Technology Festival is billed as the world's FIRST FULLY 3D Film Festival! This is awesome. I am not going to lie - I had the same idea for a 3D only film festival; its an idea whose time has come especially in light of the growing 3D component of recent film festivals and industry shows. I am glad that this is finally underway.

Attendees will also be treated to a red carpet reception and celebration, forums featuring guest speakers, directors, 3-D pioneers, visionaries and catalysts, and other special entertainment events for the public.

Hundreds of movie industry insiders are gathering this week in Banff, Alberta (gorgeous isn't it?) to watch the future of film at Canada's movie industry trade show, ShowCanada. And as has been common in most industry shows the past 12 months, there is a much larger 3D presence. One of the treats that attendees this year will be privy to is a screening of the 3D thrill ride known as "Journey to the Centre of the Earth 3-D".

3D has really taken off and technical consultant PA Charron states: "Five years ago, new equipment cost $250,000 to $300,000. Now, a digital projector costs anywhere from $35,000 to $100,000."

In other words, the technology has reached an economy of scale, theatres have begun to roll out digital technology and film distributors, ever in search of the next great idea (and mindful of the overwhelming success of competition from video games and the Internet), have created a perfect storm that may push digitized 3-D beyond its gimmicky past.